Brake mechanism



March 24, 1936. w. A. EATON 13mm MECHANISM Filed May 3, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTO-R.

- MLF/PED /4.E/47'0N7 BY ATTO NEY March 24, 1936. w. A. EATON BRAKE MECHANISM Filed May 3, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 xv. E .m T A INVENTOR.

WLFRED March 24, 1936- i w EATON 2,035,305

BRAKE MECHANISM Filed May 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Mach 24, 1936. w. A. EATofi 2,035,305

BRAKE MECHANISM Filed May 3, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

WLFWE/ITON) BY z A RNEY vPittman Mar. 24, 1936 I I 2,035,305

UNITED STATES PATENT-'O'FFICE BRAKE MECHANISM Wilfred A. Eaton, Pittsburgh, Pa", assignor to Bendix Westinghouse Automotive Air Brake Company, Pittsburgh, Pa... a corporation of Delaware Application May a, 1932, Serial No. 609,017 9Claims. (c1. 303-l) I v This invention relates to brakes and more invention will appear more clearly" from the folparticularly to compressed air systems for the lowing detailed description taken in connection braking of vehicles of either the tractor or trailer with the accompanying drawings, which illusyp trate one embodiment of" the invention. .It is to 5 In the usual compressed-air braking systems, be expressly understood, however, that the draw- 5 as heretofore employed, a delay in the operation ings are for purposes of illustration only and of the brakes, after the operation of the brake are not designed as a definition of the limits of valve, has been almostunavoidable due to the the invention, reference being had for this purnecessity of placing the brake valve at a point p se to the pp c remote from the brake cylinders, and due to the Referring to the drawings: 1o

' design of such systems, in which fluid under pres- Fig. 1 is a p View Showing a p e ed-a sure in the reservoir is always relayed to the brake b a System 1151181 design and 8,150 embodying cylinders through the brake valve, the operation the Present invention; I of which is necessary to cause any actuation of 2 iS a P V W S w 8- t a brake '15 the brake pistons. It has been found that in ay ut f usual d si n and showin the adaptatruck and trailer vehicle trains or in vehicles of tion of the Present invention to Suc t ler bra extraordinary length the delay in operation of y the brakes after operation of the brake valve 3 iS a p a vi w of a Slightly difierent y is sometimes greater than the requirements of temOf Compressed-ail b a i for t a er V6- proper brake operation permit, causing at times, hicleS ng the adaptation of the Present 2 buckling of tractor-trailer vehicles or placing ex- VehtiOll to Such a y cessive stress on the parts of a long vehicle. g- 4 is a s c ional vi w of a brake valve of It is therefore an objectof the present in- 'lisllal Construction for C p y e vention t provide a braking system for vehicles t e same ha parts added thereto, c pa in which the delay in the operation of the brakes forming part f t e p t v t 25 after the actuation of the brake valve is reduced 5 is a Sectional View Of an electricallyto a minimum. operated valve forming part of the present invenr- Another-object of the present invention i t tion and shown in operative relation to other providein an air brake system, a quicker brake jparts in Other figures f t e draw application than is possible with methods now a Fig. 6 is a sect1onalv1ew of aquick release valve 30 in use. which is also shown in its operative relation to Another object is to provide novel means for Other Parts in other figures of the ng causing rapid operation of compressed air brakes, '7 is a s t al v ew of an r n y va which novel means shall not conflict in any way e Same being Shown in itS Operative relation with the operation of the usual means for opert0 Oth'eIZPeItS in Other figures 0f the aw 35 ating the brakes, whereby normal operation is and assured in the event of. failure of the device 8 is a Sectional V Of a quick application according to thi i nti and release valve, the same being shown inits A further object is to provide a compressedoperative relation to the ts in ot er figures 40 air braking system including electrically-oper- 0f the drawings., f 40 ated means for causing a more rapid operation Referring to the drewingsiahd particularly to 'of the brakes. Fig. 1 thereof, it will be observed that the sys- Afurther objectisto provide means, associated tem shown therein comprises a stra t airwith a compressed-air braking system of the brake System Well-known Construction, t usual type, for effecting more rapid actuation Same including, as is usual in such. Systems; a 45 of the brakes,-these associated means being actu-' compressor i pp y fl under P e to ated upon operation of the brake valve of the i'eSeTVOir tanks 2 and 3 through P p g 4. Resusual compressed-air system. ervoir 2 is connected through pipe 5 to chamber 'A still further object is to provide mean f r t 9 of\ a brake valve 6 of usual construction, the initiating rapid operation of compressed-air Same being more fully disclosed n Fi .4. Cham- 50 brakes, which means may be associated with 9. her 1 of brake valve 6 is connected through pipe compressed-air braking system of usual design 8 to brake cylinders in through quick release without material change to said system and with valve II, the same being of well-known conthe addition of a minimum number of parts. struction and morefully disclosed in Fig. 6 of Other objects and features of'novelty of the the drawings. Brake valve 6 is also connected to brake cylinders I2 through piping I3 and quick release valve I4, similar to valve II illustrated in Fi 6. 1

Means are provided for causing operation of the above-described system to effect application of the brakes, such means including the brake valve 6 disclosed in Figs. 1 and 4. Referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the brake valve 6 comprises a casing divided into upper chamber I5 and lower chamber 9. These and a member 22 slidably disposed in the upper part of the brake valve casing and which is adapted to be acted upon by a member 23. As described above, reservoir 2 is connected with chamber 9 through pipe 5, such connection being normally open. Pipes 8 and I3, referred to hereinbefore, open into chamber 1 and are normally open to the atmosphere through chamber 1, ports 44 and 45 in piston member I9, and ex-.

haust port 46 in .the brake valve casing. Communication between chamber 1 and chamber 9 is normally closed due to the closure of port I6 by valve I1, the same being urged to closed position by spring I8. It will be apparent that if member 23 is operated to depress the 'slidable member 22, piston I9 will be moved downwardly to engage the stem of valve I1, thereby opening the same, whereupon compressed air from reservoir 2 will flow to the brake cylinders I0 and I2 through pipe 5, chamber 9, port I6, chamber 1 and pipes 8 and I3, past quick release valves II and I4.

Means are provided by the present invention for causing brake cylinder pressure to be built up to any desired value in a shorter time than is required ior'the building up of an equal brake cylinder pressure by the above-described system. 'As shown, such means comprise electro-magnetic valve devices-24 and 25, the latter of which is more fully illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The valve 25 comprises a two-part casing, the lower part 26 of which includes a chamber 21 having disposed in the upper part thereof a magnet device. comprising the coils 28 and the armature 29.

A guide member 30 is disposed below said armature member and is normally held from, engagement therewith by means of a spring 3|. Guide an is formed with an extension 40a, the lower part of which forms a valve which normally closes a port 32 which connects the chamber 21 to a lower chamber 33. Chamber 21 is connected at all times toreservoir 3 through a pipe 34 and lower chamber 33 is connected at all times with the chamber I5 of the brake valve '6 through pipe l3. Chamber 33 is also connected with the brake cylinder I2 throughpipe 35. It will be seen that normally the reservoir 3 is not connected to either the brake valve through pipe I3 or with the brake cylinders I2 through pipe 35, due to the fact that valve 40 is normally closed by a spring 3|. A port 43 is provided in the guide member 30 for equalizing the pressures on opposite sides thereof.

Magnet valve 24 is of substantially the same construction as magnet valve 25 with the excep- -to chamber I5 of brake valve 6 through pipe 8.

It will be observed that on energization of the magnet windings of magnet valve 25, the piston 30 will be raised against the force of spring 3| thereby establishing communication between lower chamber 33 and upper chamber 21. Immediately on such communication being established fluid under pressure from reservoir 3 will flow to brake cylinders I2 through pipe 34, chamber 21, port 32, chamber 33, pipe 35 and past quick release valve I4. When the coils of magnet valve 24 are energized, the operation will be exactly thesame. In this case, fluid under pressure from reservoir 2 will flow to brake cylinders I0 through pipe 36, the upper chamber of magnet valve 24, past the opened valve in magnet valve 24, the lower chamber, pipe 31 and past quick release valve II.

Means are provided for energizing the magnet valves 24 and 25, such means comprising switch members 38 and 39 disposed in the wall of brake valve 6 and having flexible portions extending into chamber 9 of said valve. As shown the valve I1 is provided with means such as a plate 40 which, when said valve I 1 is depressed, is adapted to engage switch member 39 and move the same into engagement with switch member 38 thereby closing an electrical circuit 4| and energizing magnet valves 24 and 25. A battery 42 may be included in said electrical circuit and such battery may be the ordinary ignition battery of the vehicle.

In operation the driver of the vehicle, when it is desired to apply the brakes, will manually operate lever 23 to thereby open port It in brake valve 6 by depressing valve I1. As described above, such operation will cause a wave of pressure to flow from reservoir 2 to the brake cylinders Ill and I2 through brake valve 6. However, immediately on depressing valve I1 the switch contacts 38 and 39 will be closed and magnet valves 24 and 25 will be energized. Such energization will cause armature 29 to attract piston 30 and raise the same thereby opening communication between reservoir 3 and brake cylinders I2 and building up an immediate pressure in such brake cylinders. It will be obvious that the valve 32,will be opened to its full extent inof spring 2I and gradually closing'the valve I1.-

It should be noted that while the intake valve I1 gradually closes when the pressure in the brake cylinders reaches the desired point, the magnet valves remain wide open until the intake valve I1 is substantially closed, thus providing an unimpeded passage of air from the reservoirs to the brake chambers until the desired pressure is reached.

The present invention also contemplates the use of the magnet valves in. conjunction with the compressed-air braking system of a trailer vehicle and the adaptation of the invention to such a systern is disclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In this figure the numeral 50 denotes a connection to the service line from the tractor vehicle, such service line being attached to thetra'ctor brake valve,-andsupplying air at tractor reservoir pressure on actuation of the brake valve; Numeral 5| denotes acoupling to the'air supply system on the tractor vehicle and trailer reservoir 52 is adapted to be of such a valve are fully set forth in the U. S.

patent to Lewis No. 1,438,317 and this valve per se forms no part of the present invention. Brake cylinders 56 are constantly connected through quick release valve 51 to the chamber 65 of the quick application and release valve through pipe 63, see Fig. 8. Reservoir 52 is in constant communication with chamber 65 of valve device 58 through pipe connection 58. Magnet valve 00 is connected in parallel with the magnet valve or valves on the tractor vehicle by electrical leads GI, 52, such connection permitting operation of either the tractor or trailer vehicle magnet valves should those on the other vehicle, for any reason, fail to operate or break.

In the operation of the above-described structure, pressure in reservoir 52 will be maintained by the compressor on the tractor vehicle through pipe 53. On operation of the tractor brake valve, pressure from the tractor reservoir will flow through the tractor brake valve, coupling 50, pipe 54, chamber 33 in magnet valve 60, to chamber 64 of quick emergency and release valve 58, causing actuation'of the same to allow pressure to fiow from reservoir 52 to brake cylinders 50 through pipe 59, chamber and chamber 65 of valve device 58, pipe 03, and quick release valve 5'I. It will be apparent that in this operation the building up of pressure in the brake cylinders will be relatively slow because of the somewhat'complicated operation and theconsiderable length of pipe which must be traversed by the wave of pressure.

It will berecalled that when lever 23 of brake valve 6 is actuated to effect a. brake application, contacts 38 and 39 will be closed, thereby energizing the tractor magnet valves. The trailer magnet valves, being connected in parallel with the tractor magnet valves, will therefore be energized and piston valve 30 of valve 60 willbe opened by magnet 28, 29. Air under pressure from reservoir 52 will then pass through pipe 55, chamber 21 of the magnet valve, port 32, chamber 33 of the magnet valve and into chamber 64 of quick ap- Y air will pass from reservoir 52 to the valve .50 to operate the latter, in a small fraction of the time required for air to pass from the tractor reservoir through the tractor brake valve 0 to the valve 58. Thus an exceedingly rapid build-up of pressure will occur in the brake cylinders immediately following actuation of the brake valve. As the pressure in the pipe 54 builds up to that for which the tractor brake valveis set, the valve [1 of the brake valve will gradually close, as fully described hereinbefore, thereby restricting the air flow from the brake valve 6.; No such action" takes place in the magnet valve, however, and the reservoir 52 will be in open communication with the brake cylinders 53 until valve ll of the brake valve 6 is substantially closed, thereby allowing switch contacts 38, 39 to open and break the circuit including the magnet valves and allowing spring 3| of valve 60 to force piston valve 30 downwardly to close port 32. the brakes then being released, as

desired, through brake valve 6 on the tractor.

The invention also contemplates the use of a magnet valve in connection with a trailer brake system which does not include a quick application and release valve, such a system, including the magnet valve, being illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In this drawing pressure in the trailer reservoir I00 is maintained through pipe IN by the compressor mounted on the tractor vehicle. An emergency valve I02 is provided, such valve being shown in detail in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Such valve forms no part of the present invention and it may be considered for the present purposes that pipe IOI is continuous to reservoir I00. A magnet valve I03 of the form disclosed in Fig. 5

. is provided, the magnet coils of the same being connected in parallel with the magnet valve carried by the tractor. Lower chamber 33 of magnet valve I03 is constantly connected, through one opening therein, to the chamber I5 of the tractor brake valve 6 through pipe I04, and is permanently connected, through a second opening, to the brake cylinders I09 through pipes I05 and I03, such pipes I05 and I06 connecting through the emerency valve I02, which ofiers a continuously open communication between these two pipes and forms no part of the present invention. A quick release valve I01 is interposed between the pipe I06 and brake cylinders I 03. The chamber 21 of the magnet valve' device is constantly connected with reservoir I00 through pipe I08.

In operation, when the tractor brake valve 5 is operated to efie-ct brake application, fluid pressure'will be transmitted from the tractor reservoir through brake valve 0 on the tractor vehicle,

and establishingcommunication between trailer reservoir I00 and the brake cylinders I09 through pipe I08, chamber 21 of magnet valve device I03, port 32, chamber 33,'pipe I05, emergency valve I02, pipe I06 and quick release valve I01, thereby giving a practically instantaneous application of the brakes. It will be obvious that, as in the other systems described, as the brake cylinder pressure builds up to that for which the brake valve Bis set, the valve I! of such brake valve will slowly close, thereby gradually cutting oi the supply of air from the tractor reservoir and brake valve to the trailer brakes. No such action will take place in magnet valve I03, however, and communicatlon between reservoir I00 and brake cylinders I09 will be maintained open until valve ll of valve device 6 is nearly closed, thereby opening contacts 38 and 39 and deenergizing the coils of magnet valve I03.

While there have been shown and described various systems embodying the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not in any way limited thereby, and that different designs and'modiflcations of the structures illustratcd and described may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, reiercnce being bad for this purpose to the appended claims. V

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid-pressure braking system comprising a reservoir, brake cylinders, a self-lapping valve device actuatable to establish communication between said reservoir and said brake cylinders through said valve device, and-electrically-oper ate-d means controlled by said'self-lapping valve device for establishing communication between said reservoir and said brake cylinders through said means.

2. In a fluid-pressure braking system, a reservoir, brake cylinders, a brake valve, an electricallyoperatcd device for establishing communication between said brake cylinders and said reservoir, said device comprising a chamber connected to said brake cylinders and to said brake valve, a chamber connected to said reservoir, and means,

controlled by said brake valve for establishing communication between said chambers.

3. In a fluid-pressure braking system,a reservoir, brake cylinders, a self-lapping brake valve, :1. magnetvalve device, means controlled by the self-lapping brake valve for establishing communication between said reservoir and brake cylinders through said brake valve, and other means controlled by said brake valve for energizing said magnet valve device to directly connect said reservoir and said brake cylinders through said magnet valve device.-

4. In a fluid-pressure braking system having a source of fluid under pressure, brake cylindersQa self-lapping brake valve for establishing communication between said source and said cylinders,

5. m a fluid-pressure braking system the combi tion of braking cylinders, a reservoir, a manuflg -operable valve device, an electrically-operle valve device, passages leading from said jmanually-operable valve device to said brake cylinders for supplying fluid under pressure to said brake cylinders, said passages also supplying fluid under pressure tosaid manually-operable device to deenergize said electrically-operable valve device.

6. In a fluid-pressure braking system the combination of braking cylinders, a reservoir, a manually-operable valve device, an electrically-operable valve device, means connecting said brake cylinders and said manually-operable valve device for supplying fluid under pressure to said brake cylinders through said device, means operable by said manually-operable valve device for energizing said electrically-operable valve device for supplying fluid under pressure to said brake cylinder, and means operable by the fluid under pressure in said connecting means for deenergizing said electrically-operable valve device.

7. In a fluid-pressure braking system the combination of braking cylinders, a reservoir, manually-operable means for connecting said braking cylinders and said reservoir, electrically-operable means for connecting said brake cylinders to said reservoir, and means included in said manuallyoperable means and operable by fluid pressure in said braking cylinders for deenergizing said electrically-operable means.

8. In a fluid pressure braking system having a source of fluid under-pressure, brake chambers,

means including an electrically-operated valve for controlling the flow of fluid from said source to said chambers, manuallycontrolled means operable to energize said valve to open position, and means included in said manually-controlled means and operable by the pressure of the fluid supplied said brake chambers for deenergizing said electrically-operable valve.

9. In a tractor and trailer fluid pressure braking system including sources of fluid under pressure and brake chambers carried by said tractor and trailer respectively, manually-operable means for connecting said tractor-carried source and brake chambers, electrically-operable means for conmeeting said trailer-carried source and brake chambers, and means included in said manuallyoperable means and operable by fluid pressure in said brake chambers for deenergizing said electrically-operable means.

WILFRED A. EATON. 

